NFL rumors: Tom Brady suitors believe QB wants Antonio Brown with him

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Could Antonio Brown and Tom Brady visit the Las Vegas Raiders' shiny new home next season as teammates? It's at least a possibility, if reports are to be believed.

The latest comes from NFL Media's Ian Rapoport, who reported Wednesday that teams interested in Brady "were among the impression" the quarterback wanted to bring Brown with him.

Brady, 42, reportedly agreed to a contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Tuesday. The now-former New England Patriots quarterback, then, would be set to visit the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas this fall, assuming the NFL's schedule is not altered because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Brown, after the Raiders granted his request for release days before the start of the 2019 season, briefly played with Brady in New England. The wide receiver's Patriots stint lasted only one game, however, as New England released him days after former trainer Britney Taylor accused him of rape in a federal lawsuit and one day after he sent threatening text messages to a Pittsburgh woman who accused him of sexual misconduct.

Despite all that, you can connect the dots on why Brady might want to play with Brown again.

Though Brown has not played in an NFL game since, he reportedly has remained close with Brady. The probable Hall of Fame quarterback told Brown he wants the two to play together in 2020, ESPN's Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler reported last month, citing two people close to Brady.

Brady wanting to play with Brown is one thing. Winning over the man who reportedly is his new coach is another.

Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians was the Pittsburgh Steelers' offensive coordinator from 2007 through 2011, coaching Brown during the final two years of that stint. Just before Brown got the trade he was seeking to the Raiders, Arians criticized Brown for torpedoing his relationship with the Steelers in a January 2019 interview with ESPN's Adam Schefter.

"From afar, there’s too much miscommunication, too much diva," Arians said on "The Adam Schefter Podcast" last year. "I’ve heard so many stories. I like Antonio, he plays as hard as anybody on Sunday and he practices hard. He’s just gotta make better decisions off the field, be on time, do some of those little things."

Brown then blasted Arians on Twitter.

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The Bucs also seem pretty set at wide receiver, boasting Mike Evans and Chris Godwin as a stellar tandem. Even if cooler heads prevail between him and Arians and you factor in his relationship with Brady, can you really envision Brown accepting being Tampa Bay's third option?

Brown's own history will matter just as much as his with Brady, and the former makes a reunion -- let alone an eventual visit against the Raiders -- anything but certain.

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